The software selection process, whether for water billing software or tax billing software - or indeed any not-off-the-shelf software - is a two step trip: first you create a large list of candidate vendors (the long list) who you will send a request for further information. You select the best suited for you (the short list) and go with them in detail on your needs (request for proposal).  Bas de Baar is an IT project manager.  The following steps come from his [1] Software Projects Blog.

The steps covered below are the ones to get to the short list.

* Define your needs

* Define your selection criteria

* Create the long list

* Create the request for information

* Evaluate the responses

* Create your short list

You see, nothing you can’t handle!